Solo & Small Firm Practice

Many lawyers don’t understand why they are perceived as better (or worse) than the next lawyer, what their true value is to the client and why they are (or are not) worth their fee. And if they don’t know, how are potential clients to know? And when clients don’t know why a lawyer is worth their fee, they will shop on price. Period.

For the most part, lawyers, especially the more seasoned lawyers, are always pleasant and professional outside the courthouse. Do lawyers battle inside? Of course, but it is usually nothing other than showmanship in front of the judge and as soon as they leave they are cordial and pleasant and professional. Sometimes the clients didn’t understand lawyers can still be advocating for them but they don’t have to ‘hate’ the other side in order to make their case.

This post is directed toward those of you who fail to accurately record your time on a consistent basis throughout the day, day after day. I know it can be a hassle but there are really good reasons why this should be a priority.

You’re a solo practitioner. It’s approaching summertime and you want to take a well deserved vacation with your family, whether a beach on an isolated island, hiking the Grand Canyon or a staycation tech-free. Can you do it? Who will take care of our clients?

My paralegal’s name is Candy. Not Candace. Candy. And she is not to be trifled with. Candy runs my firm. To be more precise, she runs me. Case in point: I am not allowed to manage my own schedule. Ever. I added an appointment to my schedule recently and got this text from her: Also, […]

Sometimes what stops a lawyer (new or old) from starting a solo practice is not fear about knowing the law or finding mentors. It’s about affording to go into practice. Health insurance is a big part of the ‘affordability’ question. It is for all self-employed people. It is for me, too.

In the course of discussing opening a solo practice, naturally we got on the topic of insurance. Clearly, much was discussed about errors and omissions insurance, the pros and cons. But when I suggested if money was tight that a new solo was wiser to buy disability insurance instead of life insurance, that’s when the questions started to roll.

Allowing a statute of limitations (SOL) to run on a client matter has always been a common malpractice error and I really don’t see that changing. One would think that with the rise of computerized calendaring systems there would be a decrease in the frequency of these types of errors. Unfortunately, it hasn’t played out that way.